19 / PROPTECH / RESIDENT EXPERIENCE & OPERATIONS

A resident experience that lives entirely in WhatsApp, feeding a single operations system built for the staff running the business.

Client: Co-living operator, 60+ properties, India

Tags: PropTech · Co-Living · WhatsApp AI · Role-Based Ops · Fintech

// Problem

More than 60 properties were coordinated through WhatsApp threads and Google Sheets, with no connection between how a resident experienced the business and how staff tracked it. The coordination model was already breaking down at the current property count.

// Our Solution

A resident experience that lives entirely in WhatsApp, feeding a single operations system built for the staff running the business. A resident discovers a room, verifies their ID, pays rent, orders essentials, applies to jobs, and raises issues without ever leaving a WhatsApp thread, in Hindi or Hinglish. Every one of those actions updates the same internal system in real time, where nine different staff roles each see only the part of the business that's theirs.

// Modules

• Foundation & Setup — the property/room/bed data model, role permissions, Membership ID format, and Hindi/Hinglish content for consent, policies, and the rental agreement template
• Onboarding — WhatsApp-based room discovery, a natural-language RAG chatbot for policy and FAQ questions, automatic bed assignment, ID upload with a grace period, digital rental agreement
• Payments — UPI/Razorpay digital payment alongside in-person cash/card, rent reminders, automatic deduction for employed residents, itemized billing, move-out notice and settlement estimate
• Essentials — a visual, photo-based catalogue, natural-language item search, fixed pickup windows, and full supply-chain handoff tracking from warehouse to property
• Work — employer job postings broadcast over WhatsApp, default eligibility for unskilled roles, consent-gated profile sharing, daily attendance tracking
• Support — structured issue reporting across Living and Working categories, WiFi troubleshooting, digital notices, and an internal-only behaviour record

// Technical Details

Stack

Python/FastAPI backend with PostgreSQL, Redis for cache and session state, and Celery for background and async tasks, all containerized with Docker; a Node.js/TypeScript React front end for the internal operations dashboards; WhatsApp Business API integration; Ola Maps for location-aware room discovery.

Role-Scoped Internal Operations

Nine distinct roles — Admin, Operations, Finance, Studio Manager, Placement Ops, Sourcing, Warehouse Supervisor, Transport, and the resident themselves — each see only what's relevant to their scope. Live queues cover bookings, KYC follow-up, feedback tickets, and move-out cases.

Payments With Webhook-Verified Confirmation

A payment is only confirmed once a webhook from the payment processor verifies it — never on a client-side "paid" message alone.

Privacy and Access Control Built In From the Start

Consent is recorded separately per purpose. Sensitive documents are stored encrypted and masked, visible in full only to the roles that need them, with every view or edit of sensitive data logged.